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Into the Howling Dark
Sadow arrived at the main gates to the city of Baharuga, and could already smell the stench of industry at work. A bu stling city, and he was in it. This could be bad. "Halt!" A guard moved in front of Sadow, barring his path. "What business have you in the Holy Baharuga?" The guard was dressed in red and wore illustrious clothing to reflect the glorious city. Sadow gave an apathetic look at the guard and answered "I am here to resupply my armaments as well as food and water." His cape swayed from the gentle breeze brought up by the near-perfect city. "Hmmm...fine you may enter." The guard motined his hand and the gate began to open. Its outer trimmings dissolved and the entire gate fell away in flashes of magic. "Welcome to Baharuga." With the gate gone the full grace of the city swept over Sadow. "The shops are near the center of the lower level, stay away from the upper levels and you should be fine." Sadow walked past him but couldn't help wondering what he meant when he said to stay away from the upper levels. He looked around the glorious city and wondered "For such beauty, a monster like me wouldn't belong." "Now I wouldn't say that." An older man dressed in blue and white appeared behind Sadow. "You're new here, aren't you?" Sadow turned to face him and raised a brow curiously while keeping a cold, callous look on his face "What's it to you, old man?" The man walked up to Sadow and put a hand to his head. Suddenly a spell circle appeared over his forehead. "You have experianced a great loss, and sufffered a great deal, how sad." The man removed his hand and stepped back. "Such woeful Memories." Sadow formed a scowl and asked "Did you just read my memories? Then if so, why are you not cowering in fear?" "I am of a heavenly body, a demonic one could never frighten me." The man smiled and brushed back his hair. Sadow smirked "You a saint? Or, better yet, an Angel? Haven't killed those before." "No my child, I am a King." The man gave Sadow a wink and casted holy. The flash of light blinded Sadow and the man vanished. Shielding his eyes from the blinding light, Sadow grimaced "Tch... Arrogant bastard." To that, he turned and headed for the lower levels, as suggested by the guard. "Young man! Young man!" A small, round man called out to Sadow. "Come, come to my store! The finest magics and drinks avaliable here, I even got my hands on new armor from far away lands. Please come, come in! Sadow glanced at the store-owner and decided that way would be in his best interest. He turned and strolled over to the store, his cape flowing with each movement of his legs. "Good, good!" The man led Sadow into the store. The shop was large and full of exotic items. The shelves were lined with various potions and books. There were racks full of interesting weapons and maniquens dressed in armor of every kind "Everything you need, wepons, potions, armor, spells! I have a special item you might like." The man went behind his desk and came back with a bottle with an elaborate star on the front. "A megalixer! Very rare, said to be able to bring you back from the brink of death itself!" Sadow's eyes widened in curiosity. With this, he could ultimately defeat his brother without having to resort to killing himself. He turned to the man "How much?" "Ohhhhh well if healing is something you need I suggest this!" The man went back again. "Do you know of the Phoenix? An immortal bird that trancends death." The man came back with another container. "A phoenix down! If death should ever claim you this item will bring you back! As long as you have one an unnatural death will never take you! Only 2000 gill per!" Sadow raised a brow "What do you mean by... unnatural death?" The man looked up at Sadow. "Well death takes us all no matter what. But if your life is ever cut short the pheonix down will save you. But if it is truly your time nothing can save you!" Sadow's eyes faltered understandingly "I see. I'll give you 1500 gil for it, no more." "Well I'm in a rush soooooo ok!" The man took the money and gave Sadow the down. "I must leave now, I hear the Greenian empress is coming to talk with the emperor and she's coming through here! She is said to be a goddess and a powerful one at that. Strong as the emperor they say!" Suddenly loud trumpets sounded as the start of the promonade. "She's here!" The man ran out without even locking up. The Natherex Queen Sadow was barricaded from the streets by a crowd of people watching as the empress was guided to the temple. Sadow looked annoyed and shoved past the crowd, making his way to the street. He began to cross the street, right in front of the parade. The parade came to a stop as the music halted too. "Young man! Young man get out of the way!" The shopkeeper ran to Sadow and grabbed his sleeve. "Please, now, we must move!" The parade suddenly split as the goddess Millan Gosphel herself approached the two. Sadow glared at the shopkeeper and was about to speak but was interrupted by the sight of the goddess. She was a beast of a creature. A woman that stood almost seven feet tall. Her wild mane stood on ends at being interruped by these men. "Your highness! Forgive us, we meant no disrespect." The goddess looked down and, with a flick of her tail, smashed the shopkeeper into the next building. He didn't move and blood trickeled from his head. "Pitious men, death welcomes ony your embrace." Sadow smirked "You a Demon or something? That kind of strength even surpasses their kind." "You degrade my presence, your spurn my vistage, and you mock my providence. Pitious man whom knows not but grief, die with the blessing of death by my hand." Millan raised her tail and brought it down on Sadows' head. Sadow, with the blink of an eye, unsheathed his sword and guarded against Millan's attack. He smirked up at her "I think not." Though the signs were clearly visible that her attack had been heavy-weighted, as his guard was shaken. Millan looked down and raised her tail. "Terra Graviton." A large black sphere appeared in the sky and began to drop on Sadow with the weight of a thousand Moons. Raising his index finger, pointed at the sphere, Sadow fired a streak of red lightning at it. The sphere exploded in an impressive display of eclipsical proportions. "Such odd magic this man uses." She simply grabbed Sadow by the arm and threw him into the building at the far end of the city. Sadow achingly staggered to his feet, using his sword to balance himself. He coughed up blood and muttered "Bitch..." Millan drew a spell with her hand and vanished. Suddenly, she appeared right in front of Sadow, blocking out the sunlight. She raised her foot and slammed down on his stomach. Sadow gasped in pain and clutched the goddess' ankle aimlessly, instinctively trying to get her to remove it. "Fear not, pitious one, your death reaps not but the worlds' salvation. The heavens call out for another soul and the eternal dream is now wroth upon your heart. Yours has been a life of fear and enslavement, let me be thine liberator." Millan raised her hand and slashed Sadows' stomach with her enormous claws. Sadow clutched his now bleeding stomach and fell on one knee, using Cerberus to keep balanced. His breathing rate had increased, and his heart quickened from the fear of death "Heavens...? Eternal dream...? What a load of bullshit!" At this, he leapt forward with great effort and aimed a slicing maneuver at her leg. Millan kicked the sword away, her skin being too hard to pierce with a simple slice. "You would deny yourself salvation? You masochistic fool." Sadow smirked and chuckled to himself coldly "One of my kind doesn't deserve anything close to salvation. But being a goddess, I doubt you would understand." "I am not plagued by the day to day ramblings of a mans' society. I reign above tragity and sadness, my throne on high gives me clear view of my providence. One who was been blinded by fate could never see the world as it is meant to be seen" Millan turned and began her walk to the palace. At this, Sadow crumpled to the ground, defeated. As his eyes began to close and his mind drift to unconciousness, he murmured "At least... I know my destiny..." Reach As Sadow began to fade the potion in his clothes exploded. The down released golden feathers that revived him completely. Suddenly, Sadow awoke to a young man dabbing his forehead with a cold rag and wrapping his chest in bandages. Sadow's eyes widened and, instinctively, he shoved the man away. Extending his arm, his sword flew toward it at his command. He grasped the handle and pointed the blade at the mysterious figure "Don't touch me! Who are you?!" "Calm down! I'm Reekis, the shopkeepers' son. When you passed out I took you and my father here to heal you." Reekis looked over to see the shopkeeper resting in a bed next to him. "Please lay down. You're still hurt." Sadow used his sword as a crutch and moved toward the exit "I'm fine. I've got to get out of here soon, anyway." Reekis snapped his fingers and Sadow stopped. "You're still to weak. That spell has barely enough strength to stop a baby. Now lay down!" Reekis was in no mood to deal with Sadows' pride. Sadow glared at him "And who are you to order me around, mortal? Do you have any idea what lies for your people if I stay here any longer?!" "You clearly don't know our people." Reekis grabbed him by the collar and put him back on the bed. Sadow smirked "And you clearly don't know mine." Messengers of Death A murder of crows flocked around the area outside the main gate. Disturbing them, and subsequently causing them to scatter, were three men of differring appearances. One had shoulder-length red hair and curved, black horns. The center was short and wore a black leather jumpsuit with a chin-high collar and seemed to have wings as well as short, curved horns. The last wore a dark robe with black hair that went down to his ankles. He had three sets of wings; one being large, bat wings. The next a pair of black bird wings. And finally, a pair of skeletal wing structures. They all marched toward the gates in a horizontal, single-file line. "An incursion on Baharuga? Fine." The gates opened to reveal the older man from before standing in the main path. "Good evening gentlemen, welcome to Baharuga." The short one demanded in a scratchy, hiss-like voice "Out of our way-" The winged one then interrupted "Now, now, Barbas, there's no need to be rude." In return, Barbas glared at him "Of course there is! 6 hours to find and kill a man who has slaughtered a few of our own, and this man is barring our path! He should consider himself lucky I don't tear his soul right out of his body as we speak!" The winged man smiled, ignoring his counterpart's comments, and greeted "Hello, sir, I am Halphas. These are my partners, Barbas and Avnas. We come here today seeking a certain... individual." "Ahhh the bruding young man with white hair?" Halphas smirked "The very same." Barbas demanded "You know him?!" "Of course. I welcome all visitors to my city. But I must ask.....what do you intend to do with him?" Halphas glanced at his comrades and all three couldn't help but chuckle at the question. Barbas pleaded "Oh, please, let me tell him! Let me!" Halphas nodded in agreement "You may." Barbas turned to the man and answered "We're going to take him back home to Hell to be torn to shreds and made into our dinner!"